Thursday, October 3, 2013

DON'T ASSUME KINGS WILL BE PART OF POST OFFICE REDEVELOPMENT

As the Township Committee considers the eight proposals for development of the Maplewood Village post office site, without offering residents a full look at each one, they will see many of the proposals include the relocation of Kings from its current spot across the street.We reached out to Kings to ask if they, indeed, plan to relocate to the post office site in the future.Their statement, below, appears to indicate nothing is a done deal:

“Kings Food Markets is
very committed to our valued Maplewood customers and is dedicated to
supporting economic development in any way that we can. While the post
office location is of interest to Kings, we know there are many pieces
that would need to align in order for us to make that transition. In the
meantime, though, we have recently enhanced our existing location as
part of a brand-wide effort to ensure we are providing the best possible
shopping experience for our customers. We continue to look forward to
working in partnership with the community as we evaluate long-term
opportunities that would allow us expand our presence even further.” -- Rich Durante, COO, Kings Food Markets

1 comment:

I'm totally confused about this one. I know people go to the local Kings to pick up this and that. I've also heard it's the most successful Kings per square foot which makes sense because it's so (perfectly) small. However, most people I know say they do their regular food shopping at Shop Rite in Millburn because Kings is too expensive. Why would Kings want to ruin a good thing by becoming bigger? Will people travel to shop at a new bigger Kings when they are already traveling to Millburn; if they wanted a bigger Kings they could find one there? Is building apartments on top of a supermarket really attractive to potential renters, at NYC rents like the Station House Apartments? How will the new and improved prepared food, coffee, bakery, possible liquor license affect the rest of the Village businesses? Where will the Post Office relocate? And what about the deliveries, trucks, garbage and of course parking? I don't know, it seems like odd decision to me. If it's been well thought out, I'd love to hear the rationale. Then again, I'm old, crabby and cheap! Or living in the past.